


A World of Light & Darkness

by mneiai



Series: A Song of Light & Darkness [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-06-29 17:02:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19834654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mneiai/pseuds/mneiai
Summary: Further world-building and information for A Song of Light & Darkness verse.





	1. Author's Note

This isn't going to have prose (or, if it does, it will be more like AWOIAF and F&B where it's a "historical" account). 

This will go over the basics of magic for the universe, some of the history of the Starks and Targs, how the Targs conquered most of Westeros, etc. 

Somethings may also be mentioned in the story, but this will have details and should be considered, except where indicated otherwise, to be the "truth" of what happened (whereas the characters in the story have their personal biases informing their beliefs).

It will most likely be updated (things added and changed slightly) as I write and work out more of the universe, I'll try to remember to make a mark on each chapter of the latest edit to it.


	2. A Brief History of Westeros and the Conquest

The Children of the Forest, along with other magic creatures, existed on Westeros for as long as any recorded history of the continent could track. They practiced what would today be referred to as Light magic.

The First Men came to Westeros and were immediately at odds with the Children. At the time, they had no real magic, but did have significantly greater numbers. To protect themselves, the Children first destroyed the Arm of Dorne, creating the Stepstones, and then tried to sever the Northern part of the continent from the Southern, creating the Neck. 

The First Men, however, were relentless, and continued to take more and more of the continent. Eventually, the long-running war became too much for many of them, as younger generations were growing up not knowing any peace, and they began making pacts with the Children. Many of these included marriage alliances, and the First Men slowly gained the magic of the Children.

Centuries, perhaps millennia, later the Andals invaded. They also lacked magic, but they had far greater technology, bringing with them iron. Soon the First Men and the Children realized that the iron didn't just make a more effective weapon--it also dampened their magic.

Many of the First Men surrendered to the Andals, taking up their ways and practicing magic only in secret, weakening themselves in order to survive.

But in the North, they held out. The Neck which had been unsuccessful against the First Men proved a challenge to the Andals, who lacked the magic to get through it. That didn't completely satisfy the survivors, though, and the First Men and Children took part in one of the greatest magical feats in recorded history--they created the Wall.

Powered by untold numbers of voluntary sacrifices and magic from nearly everyone in the North, the Wall is a gigantic structure that splits the North in two. Beyond the Wall is a territory inhospitable to anyone without magic. The Wall itself requires the magic of the Children to cross, meaning that the Andals, and those who interbred with them for generations and lost their own magics, were incapable of passing through it.

It was the last line of defense for the united Children and First Men and they were thankful that they never needed to use it. At least, not against the Andals.

In Essos, another type of magic flourished, at odds with that which the Children used. Perhaps none delved deeper into it than the Valyrians, outcasts from the Yi-Ti Empire who fled the Bloodstone Emperor and chose a land that was flooded in energy from the Earth around it. 

The greatest practitioners of magic in Valyria were called dragonlords--they were families who participated in unimaginably horrific experiments to increase their own power and tie it to their bloodlines. A single dragonlord was often more than enough to destroy a city outside of Valyria, a battalion of them enough to destroy other civilizations entirely.

One of the abilities gifted to some of the families by their experiments was precognition and eventually an extremely powerful practitioner was born into a lesser house of dragonlords, the Targaryens. Daenys the Dreamer foretold of the need to go West and establish their family in Westeros.

The Targaryens left Valyria, settling on Dragonstone and building a fortress using their magics. And then the reason for that need was presented to them--Valyria had enemies and those enemies would be willing to work with the Targaryens in exchange for the access that the dragonlords could give them. Together with the House of White & Black, the Targaryens helped to destroy Valyria and all other dragonlords.

Taking the power from so many deaths and condensing it into magical objects, the Targaryens prepared themselves for their next undertaking--conquering Westeros. Valyria was gone, part of their agreement with the Faceless Men meant they could not return and conquer parts of Essos, but Westeros remained open and available, ruled by warring houses that by and large lacked magic.

Powered by the deaths of tens of millions of magical people and with armor and weapons of Valyrian steel which countered the nullifying effects of iron, the Targaryens conquered kingdom after kingdom. Only two remained a problem--the Dornish, who had found their own magics again through an influx of Rhoynish blood with Nymeria, and the North, who remained strong in magic and saw what the Targaryens practiced as an abomination, as "Dark" to their "Light."

The Targaryens saw the North as a greater threat and waged war against it. With their magics, they were able to get their troops through the Neck and with their greater naval capabilities they took the shores as well.

Finally realizing why their ancestors must have built the Wall, the North retreated behind it. The Targaryens had magic, it was true, but it was not the magic of the Children. They could not pass.

The True North and the South fell into a stalemate. Over the centuries, the Targaryens brought Dorne into their kingdom, but nothing they could do seemed to be able to bring down the Wall and finally make Westeros whole.


	3. The Great Houses of Westeros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lists and titles of members of the great Houses, with some explanation for differences.
> 
> Work in progress, last updated July 24, 2019.

**House Targaryen**

Rhaegar Targaryen, King and Dark Lord of Westeros  
Elia Nymeros-Martell, Consort of the Dark Lord, Queen of Westeros, Princess of Dorne 

  * Aegon Targaryen, Crown Prince of Westeros, Future Triumvir of Westeros
  * Rhaenys Targaryen, Princess of Westeros, Future Consort of Aegon, Future Triumvir of Westeros
  * Aemon Targaryen, Princes of Westeros, Future Consort of Aegon, Future Triumvir of Westeros, Prince of Winter



Shaena Targaryen, Princess of Westeros  
Various husbands, all "mysteriously" deceased

Viserys Targaryen, Prince of Westeros, Prince Consort of the Ruling Princess of Dorne  
Arianne Martell, Princess of Westeros, Ruling Princess of Dorne

Notes:

  * While Rhaegar plans for his children to rule the covens of Westeros as a Triumvirate, following Andal laws Aegon is seen as being the next King
  * Rhaegar married Lyanna to keep Aemon from being considered a bastard (which the Andal population would frown upon), but among the covens of the South Lyanna is considered just a vessel for Aemon and not his mother, and he is treated as Elia's child.
  * Almost all of Aerys and Rhaella's children lived, however few made it to adulthood (largely through foul play). Daenerys was never born.



**House Stark**

Eddard Stark, King of Winter  
Alyssa Blackwood, Queen Consort of Winter

  * Robb Stark, Prince of Winter, Heir to the King
  * Arya Stark, Princess of Winter
  * Rickon Stark, Prince of Winter



Benjen Stark, Prince of Winter, First Ranger of the Light's Watch

Notes: 

  * The Blackwoods retained their worship of the Old Gods in canon despite losing to the Andals. In this AU they continued practicing magic in hiding, but when the Targaryens came they fled North, knowing the Targaryens would be able to sense their Light magic.
  * Arya (and Rickon) are older than in canon. I didn't want to just create a bunch of Stark OCs, but did want to change things up a bit since the Tullys would not be in contact with the Starks. Robb was still born in 283, with Arya in 285 and Rickon in 290, so Arya is a year older than Sansa is in canon and Rickon is the same age as Bran is.
  * Instead of a Night's Watch which guards the southern North from the True North and has long forgotten why, the Light's Watch guards the True North from everything South and is quite aware of what they're guarding from and why. It is not necessary for them to take the same sort of vows as the NW, though because of their isolation at the castles on the Wall they rarely have wives or families.



**House Nymeros Martell**

Arianne Nymeros Martell, Ruling Princess of Dorne, High Lord of Dorne  
Viserys Targaryen, Prince of Westeros, Prince Consort of the Ruling Princess

Trystane Nymeros Martell, Prince of Dorne

Oberyn Nymeros Martell, Prince of Dorne  
Ellaria Sand, Paramour of the Prince of Dorne

  * Obara Sand
  * Nymeria Sand
  * Tyene Sand
  * Sarella Sand
  * Meria Sand
  * Obella Sand
  * Dorea Sand
  * Loreza Sand



Notes:

  * Arianne removed her father from power a few years before and took out Quentyn at the same time, who would challenge her for rule with his Yronwood connections.
  * Since Elia is alive, Oberyn did not name his daughter after her, so "Elia Sand" is named Meria.



**House Lannister**

Cersei Lannister, High Lady of the Westerlands, Lady of Casterly Rock  
Jaime Lannister, brother and paramour of the Lady of Casterly Rock

  * Lorean Lannister
  * Joanna Lannister
  * Tybolt Lannister



Tyrion Lannister, brother of the Lady of Casterly Rock

Notes:

  * Cersei killed her father Tywin and took control of the Westerlands with Jaime's approval.
  * Jaime and Cersei are not wed, but it's well-known that Cersei's children are his and Rhaegar gave a writ legitimizing any of Cersei's children.
  * The children are the same, but with more Lannister-themed names, and Joffrey has "acceptable" outlets.
  * Tyrion and Cersei have a slightly less contentious relationship, however he resents her for taking up rule of the Westerlands and spends most of his time traveling.




End file.
